Robert M. La Follette- 1917, The Capitol, Washington D.C. – Address to the Senate Defending Free Speech
Nicknamed “Fighting Bob,” Robert M. La Follette was an American senator and lawyer who notably opposed the United States’ entry into World War I. And when his stance was misinterpreted as support for Germany, he cleared his name and defended his right to free speech even in wartime in a three-hour address in 1917.
While met with applause from those at the galleries of Congress that day, his speech led to him being investigated for possible treason. La Follette and his reputation were later exonerated. He was even included in a shortlist of the Senate’s greatest former members in the ’50s.
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